Cop injured in CPM-Trinamool clash

SURI: A sub-inspector posted at Dubrajpur police station suffered serious splinter injuries when crude bombs were hurled at him late on Tuesday night. Amit Chakravarty, who was caught between warring CPM and Trinamool Congress groups, was admitted to a private hospital in Durgapur.

The clash was a sequel to a dispute over the availability of jobs under MGNREGA at Gopalpur village. It started on Tuesday morning, but flared up again late at night when the two groups attacked each other with bombs and guns.

Chakravarty reached the spot around 8.30pm with a force from Dubrajpur police station. He was busy controlling the clash when suddenly a bomb was hurled at him, badly injuring the lower part of his body.

Birbhum SP Alok Rajouria said: "Bombs were hurled indiscriminately and firearms also were used in the clash. So far, 12 people have been arrested. Raids are on to round up the rest. The condition of our officer is stable, but he has been kept under medical vigil. He received serious splinter injuries."

Both CPM and Trinamool leaders blamed each other for the clash while denying that their supporters had hurled bombs or used firearms. Bhola Mitra, Trinamool's Dubrajpur block president, said: "A group of villagers, including some of our supporters, were digging a pond under MGNRGEA on Tuesday morning. They had been assigned by the Jashpur panchayat for that job. But local CPM leader Makbul Hossain attacked the workers with a band of men. It was brought under control but in the evening, they again raided the houses of our supporters and started hurling bombs. We are sure the police officer was injured due to one such bomb."

On the other hand, Arun Mitra, a district CPM leader, put the blame on Trinamool supporters for the clash. "Our supporters worked under the same scheme earlier, but have not yet got the wages. The panchayat authority, without paying our supporters, engaged new labourers. When our supporters went to protest, they were attacked with bombs," he claimed.

Despite indiscriminate hurling of bombs, no one from either side was serious injured. According to locals, the policeman got trapped between the two warring groups. Some other policemen, too, received minor injuries.